


super friends

by jackgyeoms



Category: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League - All Media Types
Genre: Barry got his ass kicked and suffered for it, F/M, Injury, Iris meets the Justice League for the first time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-07-27 04:49:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7604092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackgyeoms/pseuds/jackgyeoms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Iris West isn’t someone who is easily intimidated, but under the scowl of the Bat of Gotham, she wanted nothing more than to put some distance between them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	super friends

**Author's Note:**

> because of awesome news that kiersey clemons is going to play iris west in the dccu (!!!!), have some westallen and the justice league.
> 
> unbeta'd so all mistakes are my own

 

Iris West isn’t someone who is easily intimidated, but under the scowl of the Bat of Gotham, she wanted nothing more than to put some distance between them. In fact, like this, these heroes are terrifying, sweaty and bloodied giants amongst the rubble, back to back with each other. They would face their enemy, and to them, that is what she is.

Stranger. Civilian. Journalist. But she will not bow to them or their power, because she does not cower, not when she is needed. So she plants her feet, straightens her shoulders, and prays that her voice doesn’t shake when she orders, “Let me see him.”

Iris had seen him go down on the television in her office. The news had been rolling full time, phones ringing on all corners, everyone trying to get the story ahead of their nearest competitor, and the story of the team of superheroes that had come from all corners to defend the innocent is big news.

She hadn’t realised Barry was there at all until Vale’s voice spoke of a red blur amongst the carnage, and Iris couldn’t breathe for her heart in her throat. Vaguely, Iris thinks she might have lost her internship for leaving without warning, but there could always be a second chance. She wouldn’t get another chance should Barry not get up from this.

He’d never not gotten up before. Even shaking and bruised, he’d stagger on his feet and smile with reddened teeth. He’d been so still on the shaky camera footage. He is still amongst the carnage, a police line formed to keep civilians away from almost guaranteed danger, but nobody dared approach. Iris had jumped the tape to get there, ignored the shouts that “this area is restricted”. She hadn’t truly been thinking of any injury she might receive herself, and now she wouldn’t let herself be turned away.

Iris swallows and repeats herself. “Let me see Barry.”

“You are Iris West,” Wonder Woman comments.

“Yes,” she confirms after a falter over the thought that they know who she is.

Barry stirs, rolling out of the recovery position into a splay, and groans loudly. “Iris?”

She doesn’t wait for Cyborg to move aside, slams into his metal plating and leaves her arms aching. She drops onto her knees, scraps up her trousers, and fumbles for the hand he holds out to her.

“I think I’m hallucinating,” Barry declares, “Iris is here.”

“You’re an idiot,” she bites out, and her hand flexes around his roughly.

Barry frowns. “I’m in pain, don’t be mean,” he tells her.

“Idiot,” she sighs, less harsh, and loosens her grip just so.

“He has three broken ribs, and likely some internal bruising,” Cyborg states.  It’s all matter of fact, and Iris wonders what he can actually see with his cybernetic attachments.

“He needs his wounds tended to,” Aquaman rumbles. Arms folded across his chest, eyes unnaturally grey, and knowing the power he possessed, Iris thinks he is the most fearsome of the bunch. But his voice holds the rough concern of someone who doesn’t want to admit he cares, and he softens just a tad in her eyes.

“He can’t go to a hospital,” Iris states quickly. She’d helped with the research, after the accident. His new found abilities weren’t something that could be shared and Barry hadn’t known what to do beside test his limits. A broken bone had been healed in three hours, a cut healed in under five minutes.

“The Batmobile is on its way,” Batman tells her, voice rough, and Iris cannot even begin to question that naming choice.

Barry chuckles, and flinches at the pain. “Hear that, Iris, I’m gonna ride in the Batmobile. So cool.”

“And all you had to do was nearly die to get it,” Iris retorts grimly.

He makes an abortive motion. “Batman would let me ride in the Batmobile anyway, wouldn’t you Batsy?”

Batman is quiet, and stares down at the slumped figure. Barry is still talking, and Iris is comforted by it because honestly, humour, even pained humour, means he’s okay, that he will be okay. But he might not be in the future – ever since he’d stopped that armed robbery, he’d been on this high of justice, helping people, and Iris wants him to find purpose, she does. But now that he’s found it in this, she wishes it wasn’t something so horrendously perilous.

Batman doesn’t speak, expression set on the side of chaotic neutral. Cyborg’s armour doesn’t hide his smile of amusement, too wide and beautiful for the angered line his lips had fallen into during the battle.

Barry turns his attention back to her, “Don’t worry, Batman loves me.”

Iris glances at the Bat and back again, “yeah, that looks like an expression of love.”

Wonder Woman huffs her laugh, and later, Iris would be awed by the fact that _she made Wonder Woman laugh._

There is a harsh crashing someone beyond them, into the damage, and it sends Iris’ heart rate skyrocketing. Now she is looking, there is so much damage, so much destruction. She’d never seen Central City like this - the crumbling buildings and the bare steel frames of foundations and the thick smog that settles in the back of the throat. She wonders how a city can ever recover from this, but as hopeless as it looks, the city is in good company. Gotham breaks and rebuilds like clockwork; Metropolis struggles on shaking legs to return to former glory and Central City would be beside them.

“We should try to stabilise the structural damage,” Batman states.

Behind his head, the wind makes window frames creak. “Is that possible?” Iris wonders.

“There are measures,” he tells her, “Enough for first responders to be allowed access.”

“We should move the beast,” Aquaman states, eyes focusing on the body left where it fell at the end of the battle. It’s just out of view, and is the core of the collapsing cityscape. “It does no good to leave it out in the open.”

“I’ve got him,” Iris informs them, “Do whatever you need to do.”

Batman nods once, sharply, and with a shot of a grappling hook, he is gone. Aquaman and Wonder Woman bump shoulders as they approach the creature – looking at it now, she can see ripped skin and boils and she’s never seen a monster this close before – and Iris is amazed by how easily they pull the thing onto their shoulders. Cyborg tells her that he’s going to find a vantage point to see the damage, reminders them both to stay put until the Bat’s ride shows up, and his heavy footsteps fade until there is just the two of them and a demolished city.

Barry tries to sit up again, and Iris puts her hand to his back to assist. He still winces, puts a trembling hand to his right side, and his face screws up unhappily. He puts most of his weight against her, his head on her shoulder.

“Did you see me?” Barry mumbles, smooths expression into a smile when he looks up at her. “I kicked ass.”

Iris laughs, presses her face into his cheek and the grime from under his cowl stains her. “Yeah. And then you got your ass beat.”

“Hey, it was my first time fighting a super powered monster, I think I deserve some credit,” he argues. He leans into her, angles his head and she can feel his breath on her cheek. She clings to that feeling - _not dead, not dead, not dead._

“You are in so much trouble for keeping this a secret. You scared me,” she says.

“Sorry,” Barry replies, “I didn’t mean to.”

“I know.”

A hesitation and, “I can’t say it won’t happen again.”

Iris puffs out hot air, and returns, “I know.”

(She doesn’t lose her internship in the end, thanks to the exclusive that the Super Friends were able to give her. She tells them that she’ll work on the name.)

(Iris gets an email from Lois Lane two weeks later, about meeting up to discuss work opportunities. “Because there are very few of us in this super world,” Iris reads, makes eye contact with Barry across the living room and says, “I told you Lois Lane and Superman had a thing.”)

 

**Author's Note:**

> feedback is appreciated!
> 
> [come and talk to me in my trash heap](http://gladers.co.vu)


End file.
